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TT2014 09-20-2014 05:10 AM

50 Years Old and Starting Anew! - PART II
 
Hi there everyone!

My husband was going to start me on September 26th for my second half of my weight loss program, but he decided that my energy and positive desire to exercise more should not be wasted. My morale is high, and so I am heavily motivated to move on. He felt the data gathered matched his theory regarding how the body systems worked, and I did indeed only fluctuate between +/- 2 pounds during the 20 days I was on Phase V.

So, I am now moving forward with a new exercise and diet program. My new plan goal is 40 more pounds to lose. As per the previous thread, I lost 45 pounds from April 25th to August 31st. This plan will run from September 20th to March 30th, 2015.

The foods and calorie intake are similar to the first plan, but this second plan includes lean muscle building exercises to be slowly added in over time.

Here is how it works:

Phase I – Goal: 10 pounds over 30 days

Non-Exercise Days
Drink (qty: 8) 20.0 oz Mio flavored water bottles per day with no more than 1 bottle every 2 hours. We live in Colorado.

Exercise Days
Drink (qty: 10) 20.0 oz Mio flavored water bottles per day with no more than 1 bottle every 2 hours. We live in Colorado.

Restricted diet to 1500-1600 calories

Exercises are as follows:
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
25 minutes of walking (approx 2.0 - 2.5 mph)
5 minutes of slow breathing
5 minutes of kegel stretches
5 minutes of chair squats
5 minutes of pelvic drops

Exercise Days
After exercising in the morning:
+ One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water
+ 1.5 cups of watermelon

Breakfast
1.33 servings of Dannon Light & Fit Strawberry Yogurt
1.5 cups of watermelon
2 large hard-boiled eggs (whites only)
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

I also take a Woman's Silver One-A-Day vitamin and I take a daily 600mg Calcium supplement.

2 hours after breakfast
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

Lunch
Progresso Light Soup Chicken Noodle (or similar) - 1/2 can
1 large hard-boiled eggs (whites)
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

2 hours after lunch
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

Exercising in the evening:
+ One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water
+ 1.5 cups of watermelon

Dinner
Approximately 850-900 calories, but my choice of variety. I usually have:
2 servings - boneless, skinless chicken breast w/ lemon juice - 4 oz each
or
2 servings - tilapia - two fish w/ lemon juice
Also:
2 servings of baked potatoes with cheddar cheese
2 servings of steamed brussels sprouts or broccoli
1 large hard-boiled eggs (whites)
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

Dessert
Blue Bell Fruit Bar, Strawberry (70 calories)

2 hours after dinner
One 20.0 oz bottle of flavored water

Non-Exercise Days reduce the food servings for dinner to 1 each.
Additionally, non-exercise days do not include the watermelon and extra 2 bottles of water.
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My husband had his ankle surgery and is almost fully recovered after 8 weeks, despite having his brace removed 10 days ago. He was supposed to have a richie brace and go through 4 months of physical therapy, but he is healing so quickly that he will not be using the richie brace at all (won't receive it for another 2 weeks or so anyway). He is using a treadmill under doctor observation and started walking with me today on my plan and he did very well! My husband has started a similar diet to me, but being hypoglycemic, he has to worry about his blood sugar more, so he has less carbs in his diet. He is also transitioning caffeine out of his system.

That's about it for now. I will update here as I progress.

See you next time!

Kathy13118 09-20-2014 06:17 AM

Congratulations on your weight loss and good luck with this new phase! You are really doing an awesome job!

TT2014 09-24-2014 02:48 AM

Progress Update!
 
Hi there!

Today was my first real measurement day (after the initial measurements) of the new plan.
We changed the times to between 8-9 AM instead of 9-10 AM as before. Here are my current results:

Start Date: 9/20/14
Areas measured: neck, bicep (dominant), chest, waist, hips, and thigh (dominant)
Weight: 189.40 pounds

Measurement Date: 9/24/14
Areas measured: neck, bicep (dominant), chest, waist, hips, and thigh (dominant)
Total inches gained/lost: = -2.56!
Current weight: 187.20 pounds
Total weight gained/lost: = -1.20 pounds

Most of the inches lost are in my chest (1.50 inches dropped. We measured it 3 times!) My chest seemed to deflate within a couple days of starting this. My husband said the squat exercises are what is pushing that area, as I feel the burn in my abdomen more, where the first plan just had it affecting my legs. The other areas lost are from my waist, hips, and a little off my thigh. My neck and bicep haven't changed, which makes sense, as I didn't do any exercises affecting those areas. The extra calories being burned from the added exercises as well as the reduced 1500 calorie diet is really pushing me harder than I thought. I had a tough couple of days with the 500 calorie reduction, but with my husband here, it has been worthwhile and I was able to keep on track. My husband said the 500 calorie change is affecting me more this time because my body was closer to being in balance from the Phase V plan we were following. Now that we are in Phase I of the new plan, he said I should be more sensitive to feeling the calorie loss (I sure am!) as well as feel the muscles start to change (I feel a little weaker at first, which he said is also normal).
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He isn't doing so well. He started walking with me and did great his first time, but he has injured the area where his surgery was last night due to a region-wide power outage (affected more than 2100 people). When the lights came back on, he rotated his body to turn around to put the emergency lights away and kept his right foot planted for balance. He heard crunching and popping sounds from the ligament where he had surgery then fell to the ground as it collapsed under him. He called his doctor today to see what can be done (happened after midnight last night). He is not very happy at all with this and slept with an ankle brace and ice pack on it. He went to the ER and they placed a new splint on it and he has to keep it on until October now. They are going to do an MRI on it next week sometime. He is not allowed to walk now for several weeks, and has backed off from trying to start his plan.
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I am continuing to move forward. I have my goal of 10 pounds to lose this month and I definitely am on-track and still very motivated! My husband bought me some size 14 L (not W!) jeans and I had them on the closet door to use as a motivator. The funny thing is, I was able to slip into them and zip them up today! I can't sit in them and my husband says they look "painted on tight", but the very fact I can zip them up is amazing to me! I can't wait until that is my normal size!

In relation to this, my husband will be looking at getting me custom-made bras for later. He told me that as things change, custom-made bras can make a huge difference for ensuring I do not have future back and neck problems as I continue to get older.

Anyway, that's my update for today. See you next time!

TT2014 10-18-2014 01:48 AM

A near month-long delay, but I am getting caught up
 
Hi there!

It has been almost a month since I updated and many things have happened.

My husband was injured with his ankle again, so he cannot join on my walks right now.

Separately, I was in the hospital again for another seizure. They changed my anxiety medication again and I seem to be doing better. They are taking me off the blood pressure medication next week because I have lost so much weight, I no longer need it (I am running 95/64 with the 25mg Atenalol). So, this will help me not feel so dizzy.

My weight loss has continued almost on track. Since I was in the hospital, I could only eat their food for 4 days, and I did not lose additional weight. Losing the weight from the foods they gave me took some extra effort on my part (mostly cleaning), but I am just about back on track. My husband said losing 10 pounds in 30 days is harder when I am more fit and healthy. He told me the range was 30-45 days per 10 pounds lost, but I am trying for 30.

As of yesterday morning (I am waiting until 9AM here and it is 7:30AM right now), I was 182.0 pounds. I am two pounds from my first mini-goal this time around of 180.0 pounds. So, I have lost 8.0 pounds of weight from September 20th to October 18th. My husband is still working my plan, and I was hoping to lose the full 10 pounds by October 20th, but it won't happen. He keeps track of things for me to ensure I do not stray. Eating less is NOT a solution. Eating RIGHT is a solution. I am still on 1500 calories with a 30 minute exercise program.

On October 21st, I will switch to a 45 minute exercise program and will increase my calories to 1600/day. This will include more fruit during the day. Since watermelon is out of season, we have switched to strawberries and bananas. The higher fat from the bananas doesn't seem to be bothering me so much this time around, but I am also more than 50 pounds lighter than when I tried them before.

My goal is still to lose a total of 40 more pounds and go down to 150 pounds by April 20th. I do not think this will be a problem, except around Thanksgiving meal and Christmas. However, with my husband still here to keep his eye on me, I believe this should go very smoothly.

One big piece of news is I can now fit into the size 14L jeans he bought me :D. I could put them on before, but they were skin-tight. Now I can wear them normally. He shook his head when he saw me wear them, saying something about having to buy smaller sizes for more incentive. I was convinced I wouldn't be a size 14 until I was 170 pounds or so, which is why he bought them, but apparently I am slimming up better than we thought.

Anyway, that's my update for today. See you next time!

Kathy13118 10-18-2014 04:28 AM

You are SO close to your mini-goal, CONGRATULATIONS!

TT2014 10-23-2014 05:48 AM

One goal down!
 
Kathy,

Thanks so much for the positive feedback!

I just met my mini-goal this morning at 179.8 pounds!
We are moving a lot of stuff around in my house and I burned a lot more calories than I would with just the exercise, so it boosted me enough to catch up with what I should have lost.

This 10 pound loss was from 190 - 180 pounds and took 33 days.

I have the following changes for inches over the last 33 days:

Inches Gained/Lost (09/20/14-10/23/14)

Bicep +0.37
Neck -0.13
Chest -1.83
Waist -1.25
Hips -1.50
Rthigh -0.50
Total 4.84 inches lost

Notice that my bicep went up! I am definitely showing some muscle there now, even when not flexed.
It looks kind of odd to me, having the muscle on top, but a flab of fat underneath. However, I can see the fat is definitely disappearing over time.

Back when I started this on April 25th, I had the following measurements:

April 25th, 2014 (I was afraid to see the measurements then, so I refused to have them done. My husband had approximate measurements taken when I slept after I came home from the hospital as he thought I might need new clothes from losing 10 pounds in the hospital :P).

Waist 44.00
Hips 54.00
Thigh 29.00

October 23rd, 2014 (only these three shown for comparison to see the difference)

Waist 35.75
Hips 45.50
Thigh 25.69

Total Difference: approximately 20.0 inches

So, as you can see, there is definitely a visible difference!

Now on to the next mini-goal of 170 pounds within the next 30-45 days!

My exercises are at 45 minutes, 4 days a week, twice in a day, and I am still at 1600 calories/day.

My husband went out and bought me (online) a pair of 12 L jeans to help motivate me forward.
When they get here, they will go up on the closet to help push me to my new goal!

I feel like I am breaking through barriers and it is wonderful!

I saw one of my nieces I am close to today and we were grabbing each other and squealing like college kids (she is 20). She was so thrilled I was so thin and it was great to hear it from another female (my husband is always positive about it, but its nice to have a woman's opinion as well). We talked for hours today and had a great time! She is a chef and is taking some of my husband's recipes to try out at home with her boyfriend.

Anyway, that's my update for today. See you next time!

TT2014 10-31-2014 11:01 PM

Leveling off, but still moving forward
 
Hi there,

Sometimes leveling off is ok, but it can seem frustrating at the time.

Today, I am 180.2 pounds. I went up almost a pound overall since I hit my goal for this last month. Today starts the 9th day, and I still haven't seen any weight loss. I admit I had fallen off track for doing my exercises, as I let everything go for 5 days and I gained some weight. You cannot do that while in the middle of a plan. The diet is still good, but I wasn't eating at the right time and I skipped some of the snacks when I should not have. This is part of the wrong mindset that "eating less lets you lose weight" as that only works when it is part of a controlled diet, not haphazardly skipping things.

I admit I have been stressed from family issues (not my husband) and those things have had me lose some focus. I am not happy with the situation, but as my husband tells me, I need to stay on track with my diet and exercise plans so I can keep moving forward.

So, the last 3 days I finally have been back on track. I went up to 182.0 pounds, but I am back down almost to 180.0 again. My husband did tell me each 10 pound goal would be harder than the last, but I am still doing very well overall.

Even with gaining a couple pounds, I found I could slip into the size 12 L jeans he purchased for me and zip them up. I couldn't really breathe in them, but just being able to put them on and zip them up is an accomplishment! He just laughed and said he needs to get a size 6 next time for motivation so he doesn't have to keep buying me clothes :P

Anyway, I know that everyone hits a plateau now and then, and I have learned from the past that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you need a short break from pushing forward all the time. As long as you don't go crazy with it, and at least TRY to stay within some bounds, you will find that you should get back on track again. The weight loss, the health benefits, the size changes, looking in the mirror, and the compliments received from others who haven't seen you in awhile (or those that do) should be more than enough to remind people why they do this.

I DON'T want to be on blood pressure medication again. I DON'T want to have trouble breathing going up and down the stairs. I DON'T want to constantly have to examine my clothes to see if I have anything that fits anymore because I was getting too big. I DON'T want to look in the mirror with regrets, thinking "if only things were different". They ARE different. They ARE better.

And if those things alone aren't motivation for others, think of how it would be for your children if you weren't there for them when they need you, because you have to go to doctor appointments all the time, or can't join in on games because you are too tired or in too much pain from moving around. Being heavy comes with a LOT of detriments. It is important to remember why we do these things and to remind ourselves it IS worth it.

Anyway, that's my update for today. See you next time!

rosabella2012 11-02-2014 11:56 AM

I'd love to be 180 pounds! You've made it this far--I think you'll get to your goal! Vicki

roadtohealth 04-03-2016 04:39 PM

Hello, TT2014...

Just wondering how you are doing. I see you havent updated in awhile. Hope everything is going ok...

fayelister 07-25-2016 07:07 PM

Congrats, and good for you for staying motivated! That's hard...


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